//------------------------------// // Cutie mark crusaders forever // Story: Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever // by Psicosis //------------------------------// The sun rose above Equestria one morning, shining light across every valley and mountain. Small and large creatures woke from the dark night. Early working ponies are abandoning their beds while the care free ones slumber on.         A light orange pegasus was flying through Ponyville dodging the clouds with ease due to the years of experience she had training with her role model Rainbow Dash, as she flew on she looked towards a floating cloud city sitting in the sky and noticed her mentor and hero Rainbow Dash. She decided to stop in and see the blue colored pony because she felt she owed an explanation to Dash. She sat down on a cloud to collect her thoughts before seeing her mentor; she could feel the wind blowing through her mane and hitting her now exhausted and heavy eyes. It felt nice, it was refreshing her. “Can’t believe I didn’t get much sleep, Dash isn’t gonna be happy about that,” thought Scootaloo. She spread her wings out to as far as they would go and dove straight off the cloud towards the floating city, she was approaching it at such a high speed she couldn’t help but hope her hero was watching her. The wind blew her mane around her face, her eyes squinting to keep the wind out of her eyes and her front hooves outstretched in front of her. She felt alive, it was the best feeling she'd had so far on this terrible day. She got closer to her mentor and decided to show off hoping to impress her a little. She flew at full speed towards her mentor and just before getting real close landed in front of her while doing a frontflip. “Whoah there Scoots! You nearly hit me,” Said the rainbow colored pony. “Oh sorry about that Dash, but ah the reason for why I’m here is because I need to talk to you.” “Sure kid what is it? Shoot.” “Well I’m gonna be late to practice today and you know I’m not a kid anymore, right?” “Scoot you will always be a kid to me no matter how old you become, but ah why are going to be late to practice? You know I can't really give you permission for that.” Scootaloo just sighed and said, “Forever a kid I guess... I have something to do today, I can't miss it I’m sorry Dash.” “You’re going there aren’t you? Scootaloo you know that’s only going to hurt you more... Do you want me come with you?” “No its fine Rainbow, I have to do this on my own. I’m sorry.” Rainbow Dash threw a hoof around the orange pegasus, “You have nothing to be sorry about. Take all the time you need kid. I understand, you don’t need to worry.” Rainbow Dash suddenly pulling the orange pony into a tight embrace. “You take all the time you need, I will wait on you.” Her voice now sympathetic. Scootaloo’s heart beating faster due to the contact of her long time hero. “Thanks Dash, it's good to know you understand. But don’t worry about me I will be fine, I promise.” And with that scootaloo broke the hug between them. Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof to her friends mane and began to stroke it. “How could I not worry? You are my favorite student after all, but it looks like it's time for you to get going. You don’t wanna be late now, do you?” “Yeah I guess you’re right, see you later Dash!” Scootaloo turned away from Dash and began walking towards the edge of the cloud city, she was always surprised that these clouds felt softer than all the rest. Dash looked at her with a worrying stare, she couldn’t help but wish the best for Scootaloo. When Scootaloo reached the edge of the cloud she spread her wings once more preparing to dive off, but a small part of her didn’t want to. But she ignored all feelings she had and dove off the cloud, feeling the small amount of joy and adrenaline she always felt from flying she headed to her destination. While she was flying above Ponyville she could hear the screams of little fillies playing in the schoolyard, ponies all trying to make their way to the markets and the odd conversation every now and again. She couldn’t help but wish she was one of those ponies today. Scootaloo flew until she reached a valley covered in flowers and grass, Princess Celestia’s sun now at the highest point in the sky shining all of Equestria in its beam of light. She decided to land and walk it from here, she wasn’t sure if she was stalling for time or just trying to show respect, but she quickly erased that thought from her mind. She looked around at all the odd looking flowers to see if she knew any of them, she didn’t recognise a single one. She simply shrugged and moved on. She was never one for flowers anyway, she walked over to bunch of these flowers and began picking them. “I probably should’ve bought some when I was passing the market, well these ones look nice anyway.” She picked a bunch of flowers of all of different colors, red,yellow,white even some purple ones. She smelled them and was surprised at how nice the scent was, after picking some more she had enough to make two boutique’s of flowers. “That should be enough, well I hope it is,” Thought Scootaloo. She began walking on towards the field while admiring the valleys beauty she wanted to sit here and rest in peace but sadly today she couldn’t Scootaloo had a job to do and was determined not to fail it. Depression sank into her heart and she felt uneasy as she approached the cemetery’s rusted,metal gates. Ignoring the feelings, she pushed the gates forward only to hear them screech like a monster in the night, it frightened her to the core. She proceeded into the cemetery only to be met by hundreds of gravestones and silence. She noticed a lot of the scenery was actually pretty nice, she could see flowers at most of the headstones real pretty ones, but some that had withered away from their former beauty. Birds were singing in the green and brown trees and this started to calm scootaloo down a little, but she knew today wasn’t going to be one filled with happiness. She moved on until she found what she was looking for and wasn’t too long until she did.  Scootaloo stopped at two gravestones sitting beside each other. She continued to stare at them for a short amount of time, she couldn’t help but drop a single tear as she stared at the names on the headstones. One named Sweetie Belle and the other named Apple Bloom. Scootaloo placed the flowers she had collected outside onto both the headstones, then proceeded to sit down on the cold,mildly damp grass. It didn’t bother her she was used to all sorts of conditions this was actually quite comfortable to her.   “So...ah here I am guys, here to keep my promise. I don’t know how exactly to do this, you guys know I’m no good at this emotional stuff. But a promise is a promise, you guys were my two best friends after all. Sorry... both of you are still my best friends even if I can't see you anymore... cutie mark crusaders forever, right? Even if we did get them in the end.” Scootaloo turned to look at her flank to see the cutie mark she earned.  “A heart with wings... I can understand why I got that, speed and the love for you guys. I haven’t told you guys have I? I got into the wonderbolts! I now work alongside Rainbow dash! Rainbow is the team captain, it looks like both of our dreams came true.  It’s just a shame I can’t celebrate it with you guys...” “I can’t believe it's already been five years since you guys left... took away from me to early. We still had so much left to do, we still had to win that talent show remember that? Oh man we made such fools of ourselves but everyone still loved it somehow. We did such stupid things together I’m surprised the town didn’t kick us out!” “We really should've just stuck to what we knew instead of trying stuff we had no experience in, that reminds me of the time we went to find out how Twilight and the gang got their cutie marks. I’m still sticking with Rainbow Dash, her story was the best, but I’m pretty sure you two would still disagree with me.” Scootaloo now looking back on her fillyhood and smiling weakly at the memories that suddenly flooded her mind. “Man we used to argue so much... But they were the happiest days of my life. I wouldn’t change them for anything. Oh I also checked up on your sisters a while back. Their doing good, Rarity got a big fashion job up in Canterlot and Applejack is still tending to the farm but then again we all expected that. But they've changed a little... We all changed after you guys left us, but that was to be expected I guess.” Scootaloo looked up to the glistening blue sky, tears starting to form in her eyes. A lump starting in her throat and a whimper in her voice.  “Ha! Listen to me rambling on guys, What I really wanna say is this now try and bear with me. You know I love you two, right? We were always together, I know you're gone now but this it gives me comfort to know I can still come here and talk to you guys. We were like sisters... No we are sisters forever and always.” Tears began falling freely from Scootaloo’s eyes soaking the grass underneath her even more. She placed her head in between her hooves and thought of simpler times back when they were all little fillies trying to get their cutie marks as the cutie mark crusaders. Scootaloo smiled at these memories and couldn’t help but even give out a little giggle as she remembered the stupid stunts they used to pull off back when they were younger. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she finally lifted her head, but the sun was still high in the sky so it couldn’t of been more than an hour. “I’m afraid I have to go guys, Dash won’t be waiting forever. But it looks like I kept my promise, to see you guys every five years. I’m never gonna forget you two girls, I promise you'll always be on my mind. See you another time girls, goodbye and remember I love you both.” As scootaloo got up from the now tear soaked grass she looked at the gravestones and smiled. “Till next time guys, cutie mark crusaders forever and always, right?” Scootaloo stood there wishing to hear an answer, but she knew she wasn’t going to get one. This made her heart drop and her tears flow even more. She turned away from the headstones and walked towards the exit, the sun now shining on the cemetery illuminating her tears she could've sworn she heard the voices of two little fillies cry out, “Cutie mark crusaders lets go!” She looked around and saw nothing but birds and gravestones. She simply smiled, spread her wings and flew off towards ponyville. Her eyes now red because of her tears and a giant smile on her face. “Yeah till next time guys, cutie mark crusaders forever...”